Show World (May 1909)

The iShotu TlToRLiDi THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMUSEMENT WEEKLY published at 87 South Clark Street, Chicago, by The iShohj TUorld Publisbi^ Warren A. Patrick , GeneralVirector. . . . - oCCon^fes.soCNarch 3,]879/ Entered as Second - Class Matter June 25 , 190 7, Volumn IV—No. J9 CHICAGO Rtf-.. < fono ■^sskshw STOCK MANAGERS sSs*' NOW AMALGAMATED ! Philadelphia, April 23. The Finance Company of Pennsyl¬ vania, and Fraken, Roman & Com¬ pany, owners of two of the largest I picture houses in this city operated by Harry Davis of Pittsburg, have insti¬ tuted equity proceedings against the latter for $.>,100 rent, said to be due them. The houses are located at Eighth and Ninth and Market streets respectively and were believed to be among the most successful picture places in the city. Situated as they ire in the very heart of the big shop¬ ping district. The papers in the suit stated that $2,000 rent was due upon the Ninth (and Market street house on April 1, than $3,100 in rent was due upon the ■ Eighth and Market street house. Jules Mastbaum,. a brother of Jay Mastbaum, general manager of the (our Marry Davis houses here, has been appointed receiver, and will op¬ erate the; shows under a bond of $30,- 000 .until the case is settled. Davis was one of the pioneers in the moving picture game in this city. -WALTER. RICHARD CARLE SUES FOR $16,000 FOR HURTS. 'K.l Portland, Ore., .April 26. Richard Carle, the composer, play¬ wright and actor, is said to have be- sun suit in the federal court for $10,000 damages against the Southern [ Pacific because of injuries he sus¬ tained at Marysville. Cal., when in Transferring from one train to an- I r^her hel fell twenty-five feet down the rocky embankment. GASKELL GETS HOUSE OF THOUSAND CANDLES. W.T. Gaskell has secured the west¬ ern rights to The House of a Thous¬ and Candles and will play it in the $1.50 houses next season. A splendid j company I will be organized and it is more than likely that Karl G. Me nitty will pilot the attraction. COMPANIES CLOSING. ^ The Lyman Twins at Merrill, Wis., ! The End of the Trail at Detroit, I ’hch., April 17. Buster Brown at Chicago, May 8. The Flower of the Ranch at Fort 'vayne, Ind„ April 25. ^Ihe Holy City at Canton, Mo., Two Merry Tramps at Linton, Ind., •April 23. ( Jt^Lam! of Nod at St. Thomas, Mjga Innocence in New York, May PJ'e Soul Kiss at Brooklyn, May 1. 1 he Follies of 1908 at Boston, May Eastern and Western Associations Form Combine and Thirty- Houses Are Enlisted. An amalgamation of the Eastern and Western associations of stock theater managers was effected at a meeting held in this city last Thurs¬ day. The Williams faction of the east and the Wittig faction of the west joined hands and the combina¬ tion now represents thirty stock houses. W. W. Wittig, manager of the Ly¬ ric at Minneapolis, is the father of the scheme and sent out a call for a meeting to be held in this city March 18. A few managers responded and a temporary organization was formed. Unknown to the western contingent, Percy G. Williams and a number of eastern stock men gathered together in New York City the same week and organized The-Stock Producing Man¬ agers’ Association of which Williams was elected president. Among the di¬ rectors of the latter were Charles Emerson Cook, Sherman Brown, Thomas D. Long, Charles Loven- berg, Newton E. Hoffman and John Craig. Will H. Gregory was made secretary, with permanent offices in the Long Acre building, New York City and the organization was incor¬ porated under the laws of the state of New York. Wittig, when he first learned, through the columns of THE SHOW WORLD, of the formation of an eastern association, was inclined-to be angry, but later he saw the great pos¬ sibilities of an amalgamation and the consummation of this is credited to him. The meeting in this city last Thurs¬ day was liberally attended, for in the interim, between Wittig’s first an¬ nouncement and the call for' last week’s gathering, stock managers throughout the country found oppor¬ tunity to examine the merits of the plans, and learning that the scheme involved scarcely any outlay and promised to provide an economical exchange of • high class plays, cos¬ tumes and properties, the managers signified their ready approval. The following officials were chosen: W. W. Wittig, Minneapolis, president; first vice president, Charles N. Mar¬ vin, Chicago; second vice president, O. D. Woodward of Kansas City; sec¬ retary Frank B. Howell, Columbus, O.; treasurer, George B. Fish, Indian¬ apolis, Ind. It is believed that Percy G. Williams will be president of the board of directors. A meeting will be called for this city within a week or two at which plans will be discussed - in thorough MARVIN ALMOST GETS A REAL LOOP HOUSE Exorbitant Rent the Only Drawback—Signs Ten Year Lease for the College—May Use Pictures This Summer. Charles N. Marvin who operates three successful stock houses in this city came near adding a down town house to his list this week, and would have closed the deal for the house which was offered him had not the rental been placed at such an exorb¬ itant figure that it made possible pro¬ fits impossible. Aside from this deal—and it may yet come about before the summer is over, that he will obtain a Loop dis¬ trict theater-—he renewed his lease on the College theater, which will be effective September the first and which will run for ten years. The lease he holds upon the People’s has one more year to run and will be re¬ newed, probably for a period equally as long as that on the College. His lease upon the Marlowe is good until 1924. The College closes May 9 and will probably remain dark for the summer; the Marlowe’s regular sea¬ son closes May 15 and the National Opera company is booked for the two following weeks, when it will be shifted to the People’s for an indefi¬ nite summer run. When asked regarding the rumor that he might turn one or two of his houses in vaudeville and pictures dur¬ ing the hot weather, Mr. Marvin said: “I am considering that point just now. I cannot answer either yes or no at the present time. I rather like the picture idea for a temporary prop- Plans for Next Season. Regarding his plans for next sea¬ son, Mr. Marvin said: “I will operate my three houses on practically the same scale as this sea¬ son, with a possible experiment of circuiting, my '•pmpanies, sending them from one house to the other. (Continued on Page 7) .... 5 ew Stock at Empiri 1 he Edwin Barrie stock i opened at the Empire in San le «s, last Sunday. Keith Purchases Property. B. F. Keith has purchased the Bos¬ ton theater property at Boston, pay¬ ing over $1,000,000 for it. To Represent International R. AV. Daley has been appointed as New York representative of The International Projecting and Produc¬ ing Company. New Orleans, La., April 27. The United Association of Vaude¬ ville Managers, which is capitalized at $250,000 and maintains a fine suite of offices in the Maison Blanche is in the market for vaudeville acts of all kinds. It offers forty-nine weeks to acts that can make good. Thirty weeks of this time is in open air thea¬ ters, while nineteen weeks are placed in standard houses. The company is now considering propositions to book about fifty more houses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Aside from vaudeville acts the asso¬ ciation books bands, free attractions and concessions for many of the lead- inff parks of the south, and has a long list of picture houses on its list. The association is establishing a reputation for high quality as well as quantity and is rapidly becoming a power in the booking field. SHUBERTS MAY BUY BIJOU IN PITTSBURG. Pittsburg, Pa., April 29. It is reported that the Shubert in¬ terests have asked for the lowest cash price on the Bijou theater and if the deal goes through they will have a house which will put them in a po¬ sition to fight the syndicate. J. L. Rhinock was here in conference with the owners of the property. The Shuberts are also negotiating with E. D. Stair for the production of some high class plays at the Alvin next sea- “WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?”—CORT. San Francisco, Cal., April 26. The willingness of the American theater to take a chance with the Shu¬ berts is explained on the basis that John Cort, who is allied with the syn¬ dicate, has been unable to keep the theater supplied with good attractions, and that when a kick was made the answer was: “Well, what are you going to do about it?” IS MORE FROTH THAN SUBSTANCE IN STORIES. Cincinnati, Ohio, April 26. Congressman Rhinock, who is in¬ terested in the Shubert syndicate, said: “There is no trouble now be¬ tween the Shuberts and Klaw & Er- langer. There is more froth than sub¬ stance in the published stories of fric- PORTLAND THEATER ASSURED FOR SHUBERTS. Portland, Ore.. April 26. J. J. Shubert, during his short visit to Portland, practically arranged for a house in which to open operations earhr in 1910. It has not been defi¬ nitely given out yet whether he will lease the Orpheum or interest local parties in building a new theater, the latter of which is most probable. This will be the third in a string of coast theaters which are to add to the Shu¬ bert circuit.—LARIMORE.